BULAWAYO – A private jet was grounded overnight at Bulawayo’s Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo International Airport after police detained the mother and sister of Kelsea Tadiwa Tafirenyika, the second wife of President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s son Collins Mnangagwa, in a dramatic attempt to leave Zimbabwe for Dubai.
Zimlive reports that the Bombardier Global Express XRS, registered A6-AFC, had been due to carry Amina Jassinta Jessub Arab and her daughter Dyonne Tanaka Tafirenyika out of the country on Wednesday, August 19. Instead, the aircraft remained on the ground until Thursday morning and eventually departed without the two women.
Law-enforcement sources said the pair were detained shortly before boarding as investigators widened a money-laundering inquiry linked to properties and vehicles allegedly acquired through funds belonging to Collins. The aircraft was carrying a crew of four — three men and one woman — and was initially prevented from taking off after authorities said the airport control tower was unmanned.
The overnight grounding came as the Mnangagwa family became embroiled in a fast-moving case involving alleged drug dealing, claims of missing millions of dollars, disputed property ownership and allegations of violence at the hands of security personnel. It also followed a High Court decision granting bail to Kelsea, who was arrested on August 4.
Kelsea, 22, and her uncle Isaac Arab Jessub were each granted US$1,000 bail by Justice Pisirayi Kwenda on Thursday after challenging a magistrate’s decision to keep them in custody. The appeal was allowed by consent, setting aside the earlier decision made on August 13.
The court ordered both accused to surrender their passports, remain at their stated addresses, report to police once every fortnight and avoid contact with State witnesses, exhibits and investigations. Kelsea must report to Borrowdale Police Station, while Jessub must report to Hatfield Police Station.
The court order stated that the pair “shall not interfere with State witnesses, exhibits or police investigations.”
Kelsea and Jessub face charges of unlawful possession of pethidine for the purpose of dealing and unlawful possession of unregistered medicines. The allegations arise from a raid at Kelsea’s Greystone Park home by detectives from the CID Drugs and Narcotics Unit.
The State opposed bail on the grounds that investigations were continuing, that an alleged supplier had not yet been arrested and that Kelsea posed a flight risk. Her release on bail was followed almost immediately by reports that detectives were waiting outside Chikurubi Maximum Security Prison, where she had been held, to arrest her again on fresh charges.
The reported plan to re-arrest Kelsea added urgency to the movements of her relatives. Arab and Dyonne had travelled to Bulawayo, where they were staying at a lodge before the arrest. The family had chosen the city’s airport in the hope of avoiding detection, sources said.
The women were allegedly found in possession of drugs when they were detained. The family has disputed the accusations and said the drugs were planted on them.
Arab’s detention followed an earlier confrontation with police in Harare. She was first detained on August 13 after officers seized a Toyota Land Cruiser from her during an investigation into suspected money laundering. She later alleged that she had been assaulted while in custody.
Photographs circulated on Thursday showed extensive bruising across her back and body. Journalist Hopewell Chin’ono said Arab had been taken from Harare to One Commando Barracks and later to State House, where she was allegedly confronted by First Lady Auxillia Mnangagwa.
Chin’ono said Arab was driving home to Sunningdale at about midday on August 13 after attending court, where Kelsea had been denied bail, when she was allegedly seized at Coke Corner. He said she was taken to the military facility and questioned about US$4 million that interrogators claimed belonged to Collins.
The account alleges that water was poured over Arab’s covered face while she was beaten with sticks and batons. She was allegedly ordered to explain what had happened to the money and repeatedly fainted during the questioning before being forced back on to her feet.
Arab was later allegedly taken to State House and handed over to Auxillia. Chin’ono said the First Lady demanded money and title deeds to properties said to be registered in Kelsea’s name.
The allegations have placed the First Lady at the centre of a dispute that began as a criminal investigation but has now drawn in State security facilities, a presidential family and a private financial quarrel. Auxillia has also been accused of claiming that Kelsea bewitched Collins and used a ritual to gain control over him.
“Waisa mwana wangu muhari, mubudise,”
Auxillia is alleged to have said. The words were loosely translated as: “You bewitched my son, remove the curse.”
The reported confrontation also included threats against Kelsea and her unborn children if she was released from prison. Kelsea is reported to be pregnant with twins fathered by Collins.
The money at the centre of the dispute is connected to a wider property investigation. Sources said the Toyota Land Cruiser seized from Arab was among at least 54 properties that Kelsea allegedly acquired using millions of dollars taken from Collins, who owns several mines.
Investigators have reportedly recovered about 13 of the properties, including vehicles and houses. Some of the assets are believed to have been registered in the names of Kelsea’s relatives, including her mother and sister. The arrests in Bulawayo came as investigators continued tracing those assets and establishing who controlled them.
Collins, one of the twin sons of President Mnangagwa and Auxillia, is believed to be in Dubai undergoing rehabilitation for drug addiction. Sources said he had continued to support Kelsea despite her arrest, including paying her legal fees and helping to arrange the flight that was stopped in Bulawayo.
The alleged drug case and the financial inquiry have unfolded alongside conflicting accounts of Collins’ whereabouts and condition. He has been described as receiving treatment abroad after allegedly developing a drug problem. The allegations against Kelsea include claims that she introduced him to drugs and later took advantage of him while he was under the influence.
The First Lady is said to have been driving the investigation after accusing Kelsea of supplying drugs to her son and stealing from him. She allegedly demanded that Kelsea and Arab remove what she described as a witchcraft spell that allowed them to “get what they want” from Collins. The ritual was said to have been performed by a sangoma at sea in Durban, South Africa.
The private jet episode has become the most visible sign of the pressure facing Kelsea’s family. The aircraft’s departure without its passengers left Arab and Dyonne in custody in Bulawayo while Kelsea’s own legal position remained uncertain despite the High Court bail order.
The bail conditions require Kelsea and Jessub to stay at their declared addresses and report regularly to police. They must also avoid any conduct that could affect witnesses or the investigation. The State’s earlier concern about flight risk has been sharpened by the attempted Dubai departure involving Kelsea’s relatives.
Auxillia travelled to Bulawayo by road on Thursday for an unrelated event scheduled for Friday, where she was due to meet elderly residents. Neither she nor Collins has publicly commented on the allegations surrounding the arrests, the jet, the property investigation or Arab’s reported injuries.
According to ZimLive, Police spokesman Commissioner Paul Nyathi had not provided a public response to the claims surrounding the flight and the arrests.For the Mnangagwa family, the case has moved far beyond a single drugs raid at a Harare home. It now involves a private aircraft, a trail of alleged property acquisitions, claims over millions of dollars, accusations of assault and the extraordinary allegation that a presidential family dispute reached the country’s highest political residence.